The NIH Roadmap challenged investigators and educators to foster research and programming that would enhance the productivity and collaboration among teams of multi-disciplinary scientists. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) is uniquely positioned to achieve this goal as a result of the scope of training among ASPEN members and the organization's history of achieving interdisciplinary excellence and evidence-based clinical leadership through multi-disciplinary work. ASPEN members include scientists, physicians, doctorally-prepared dietitians, nurses, pharmacists and veterinarians in addition to clinicians with a stated interest in best practices in nutrition care. In addition, ASPEN is joined every year by a number of nutrition societies to expand its pool of scientist participants. This application seeks a five-year U13 award to continue the acclaimed ASPEN Research Workshop (RW) that was funded 2002-2007 and to expand the scope of the program to two-day sessions annually. The aims of this expanded proposal include: 1) To attract a broader group of scientists, speakers and participants with a common interest in gastrointestinal or metabolic issues in nutrition;2) To explore particular nutritional topics with greater depth than might be accomplished in a one-day conference;3) To foster communication and collaboration among researchers from multiple scientific disciplines and across all levels of training and expertise;4) To develop expanded links with other societies in terms of research programming;and 5) To enhance opportunities for mentorship of early career scientists. The investigator team for this grant includes ASPEN leaders with current responsibilities for ASPEN's Research Committee, Board of Directors and the editor of Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, who also have experience with prior research workshops. Thus they are optimally poised to expand the prior successful RW experience into a thought-leading 2-day enterprise. The planned topic for the ASPEN RW for 2008 is "Nutrition and Inflammation: Research Makes the Connection," a two-day session February 8-9, 2008 in Chicago, IL just prior to ASPEN's Clinical Nutrition Week conference with the collaboration of the American Dietetic Association and the American Society for Nutrition. The internationally recognized co-chairs of the 2008 RW are Ronenn Roubenoff, MD, MHS and Gordon Jensen, MD, PhD. Nutrition scientist presenters include Simin Meydani, DVM, PhD, Jennifer Sacheck, PhD, Charlene Compher, PhD, Leslie Crofford, MD, Lyle Moldawer, PhD, Sylvie Hauguel-de Mouzon, PhD, Kelly Tappenden, PhD, Bruce Bistrian, MD, PhD, and John Milner, PhD. The goal is to present current research findings and stimulate the vision of a research agenda for the future, while maximizing opportunities for networking and mentorship of early career scientists. The proceedings from these dynamic collaborations will be published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition as well as in the journals of the collaborative organizations. The ASPEN RW 2009 topic is "Intestinal Failure: Scientific Advances Since 2004" and will be led by Co-Chairs Kelly Tappenden, PhD and Alan Langnas, DO, who developed a fabulously successful RW in 2004.